On Wednesday, a senior officer inside the CIA was subpoenaed to appear before a meeting of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. According to ABC 7, the CIA officer said the theory that the COVID-19 virus leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, "was always the prevailing theory in the intelligence community, but many of the officers' reports and analyses were buried or even rewritten." The witness testified that CIA management pushed the natural origins theory, suggesting the virus started in an animal, possibly in a seafood market. (As recently as March 2023, The New York Times published a report that scientists had found genetic data from a Wuhan market linking illegally traded raccoon dogs.)
Liz Lyons, a spokesperson for the CIA, posted that the committee acted in bad faith.
The Committee acted in bad faith by subpoenaing an Agency officer for testimony today without notifying CIA, despite having already obtained closed-door testimony from the individual previously. The witness testifying today is not appearing as a whistleblower in pursuit of the…
— Liz Lyons (@CIASpox) May 13, 2026
The post continues:
… truth, but instead in response to the subpoena issued by Chairman Paul.
This proceeding amounts to nothing more than dishonest political theater masquerading as a congressional hearing. As the CIA has already assessed, COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak, and efforts to undermine that conclusion are disingenuous.
The CIA probably should have stayed quiet.
Did @CIADirector approve this post?
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) May 14, 2026
If so, he should apologize for it.
If not, he should rescind it,
With all due respect, no federal agency—not even the CIA—gets to tell the Senate what questions it may ask in a duly convened legislative hearing.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) May 14, 2026
The CIA is facing serious accusations, and telling the Senate it can’t look into these issues only heightens legitimate suspicions.… https://t.co/VP15ExYjV7
The post continues:
… @CIADirector needs to appear before the Senate immediately to respond in public to these and other serious accusations about the agency he’s leading.
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This doesn’t give me a lot of confidence in the CIA.
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) May 14, 2026
No government agency is above transparency & accountability.
You guys are so fucking full of shit it's unfuckingreal.
— ℝ𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕥 (@rdbrewer4) May 14, 2026
You’re kinda proving the point of your critics.
— Constance Crane 🇺🇸 (@TrackingFires) May 14, 2026
The CIA is now openly admitting that they control what Congress can investigate and report on, not the other way around...
— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) May 14, 2026
You should be immediately fired. If @DCIARatcliffe approved your message, he too should be fired.
— The Researcher (@listen_2learn) May 13, 2026
The CIA is a terrorist organization, and always has been. It’s time to close it all down.
— Bruce (@FireNewz) May 13, 2026
@CIADirector Liz Lyons just gave America the middle finger. Why are you allowing her to attack a Senate hearing? Fire this woman immediately. This level of arrogance needs to be shown the door.
— Gigi G 🌺 (@docksflipflops) May 13, 2026
The scum at ODNI and CIA who lied to the public and policy makers need to be held accountable. With, at minimum, criminal indictments, convictions, claw-back of federal pensions and benefits, and incarceration.
— Richard H. Ebright (@R_H_Ebright) May 14, 2026
You should be fired, @CIADirector needs to make that happen by the end of the day.
— Matt Hay (@MattAHay) May 13, 2026
This is a grotesque post. GFY
— Spitfire (@RealSpitfire) May 14, 2026
Do the people answer to you or do you answer to the people? How dare you accuse someone of 'bad faith' after what was revealed in that hearing.@POTUS @realDonaldTrump @CIADirector @DNIGabbard how in God's name do you allow these clowns to work for your administration?
— Fred Bastiat (@fbastiat17) May 13, 2026
Congratulations! This is the worst public relations response I have ever witnessed. The credibility of the CIA is in tatters and you just shredded it some more.
— PatrioticLee (@PatrioticLeeJ) May 14, 2026
Lyons posted that on Wednesday. Let's hope she's unemployed today. And if John Ratcliffe had anything to do with it, he needs to go, too.
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